Seven Republican candidates took part in the first New Hampshire Republican presidential debate Monday night on CNN. Read the live blog below. Follow all the issues and campaign news about the debate on CNNPolitics.com and @cnnpolitics on Twitter. Watch the debate on CNN TV, CNN.com and mobile devices.
Read the full story here.
Read the results of the Political Insiders Poll taken during the debate here.
10:01 p.m. ET - @PeterHambyCNN: aaaand Romney escapes unharmed. Win.

9:58 p.m. ET - Paul: I'd have ask more questions for them, said they haven't even told him how they feel about the Federal Reserve, a reference to his repeated calls to abolish the Reserve.

9:58 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Maybe have an American Idol-style contest.

9:57 p.m. ET - Q: Which person on this stage would you ask to join your administration?

9:57 p.m. ET - Romney: Everyone on this stage would be a better president than Obama.
9:56 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: Palin is qualified to be president and would have made a better vice president that Joe Biden, who has been wrong on everything.
9:56 p.m. ET - Q: Who made the better vice presidential choice in the 2008 campaign?9:55 p.m. ET - Cain: People don't know us yet, don't see this as a weak field.

9:54 p.m. ET - Q: Should pay attention to polls that show low enthusiasm for the GOP primary?

9:51 p.m. ET - Santorum: Dealing with a failure of the Obama administration- have no strategy to confront our enemies. Need bases to be nimble and attack when we're attacked. Obama has embraced our enemies.
9:49 p.m. ET - Q from voter: Shut down military bases that aren't vital to national security to pay off national debt?

9:48 p.m. ET - Cain: Need to understand the problem, which we did not in Libya and make sure it's in our national interests to be involved.

9:47 p.m. ET - Gingrich: U.S. intelligence is inadequate. Need to reassess strategy in the region, figure out how to get out as soon as possible. Need to find new and different strategies.

9:46 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Not in the interests of America to be involved in Libya. The president was wrong, he deferred leadership in Libya to France, "That's all we need to know."

9:43 p.m. ET - Paul: Wouldn't wait for the generals. "I tell the generals what to do [as president]." Would bring the troops home as soon as possible.
9:42 p.m. ET - Romney: Time to bring them home as fast as we can in a plan supported by our military, based on the conditions on the ground. Only the Afghans can win independence from the Taliban.

9:36 p.m. ET - Romney: Don't believe government should take land from private companies. Need to develop our own energy independence.

9:34 p.m. ET - Q: Should governments be allowed to seize private land for major projects to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil?
9:33 p.m. ET - Gingrich: Will never pass comprehensive bill. Need to control the border, take half of the Homeland Security Department and put them in border states to protect the U.S.

9:31 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: Let the states protect their borders if the federal government won't.

9:30 p.m. ET - Cain: Secure our borders and enforce laws that are already there. Promote path to citizenship by cleaning up the bureaucracy. For the illegals that are already in the U.S.- empower the states to do what federal government can't do.
9:29 p.m. ET - Paul: Need to protect our borders instead of the borders between Iraq and Afghanistan.

9:28 p.m. ET - Santorum: We should not be offering government benefits to those who entered the U.S. illegally.

9:11 p.m. ET - Gingrich: Would need to be loyal to the U.S. to serve in his administration. "There are some genuinely bad people."

9:10 p.m. ET - Cain: The question I was asked was would you be comfortable with a Muslim in your administration. Said there is a difference between peaceful and militant Muslims. Would interview the person to get a sense of how committed they are to the constitution, said it's not a litmus test. People who work for the government should be committed to the constitution.

9:09 p.m. ET - Q to Cain: Are American Muslims less committed to the constitution than Christians or Jews?

9:07 p.m. ET - Paul: Congress should never prohibit the expression of your faith in a public place.

9:06 p.m. ET - Santorum: I approach issues with faith and reason.

9:06 p.m. ET - Q: Separation of church and state?

9:04 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Already voted "no" on raising the debt ceiling, will vote against it unless there are major cuts in spending. "Clearly President Obama has failed in leadership," cites increase in the national debt.
9:03 p.m. ET - Romney: Cannot afford to raise the debt ceiling. "At some point you hit a wall," criticized the president for his leadership.

9:02 p.m. ET - Q: Will Congress raise the debt ceiling?

9:02 p.m. ET - Cain: "I don't have to raise the retirement age," said he will restructure the program.

8:58 p.m. ET - Gingrich: There are things that I would have done differently than Ryan.

8:57 p.m. ET - Q: Why did you back down on charge that Ryan budget plan is a step backward?
8:55 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: If you're in the program we should keep our word. Said it is not financially solvent. His plan, he said will include more options for people.

8:54 p.m. ET - Paul: "It can't be be made solvent." We need competition and the opportunity to opt-out of the system to take care of ourselves.

8:31 p.m. ET - Pawlenty, Gingrich and Cain: All said they hope states accept right to work to create more jobs.

8:30 p.m. ET - Q: Where do you fall on right to work?

8:27 p.m. ET - Bachmann: We need to bring the tax rate down in the U.S. Then criticized Democrats for big spending plans and said Republicans need to pass a big repeal bill, including the de-funding of the EPA.

8:26 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: The U.S. needs fair trade. Said taxes are too high and permitting is too slow for businesses.

8:26 p.m. ET - Paul: "We should invite capital back." Said the country needs to "deregulate" and "de-tax" to prevent jobs from going overseas.

8:25 p.m. ET - Q: How will you keep manufacturing jobs in America?

8:23 p.m. ET - Cain: He will be a president that will "do what's right, not what's politically right." His experiences in the business world, he said, are the same skills that will make him an effective president.

8:22 p.m. ET - Bachmann: Defended the Tea Party as a "wide swath of America coming together. I think that's why the left fears it so much." Said all Republicans need to come together.

8:21 p.m. ET - Santorum: Touted his past in Senate, said he brought people together. "I led and got bipartisan support to do it." When asked about the Tea Party, he said the "Tea Party is a great backstop for America."

8:20 p.m. ET - Q from voter: Will you have a balanced approach to governing?

8:18 p.m. ET - Gingrich: The country should not have a health care mandate. Also said it's important the 2012 election includes wins in the House and Senate.

8:16 p.m. ET - Pawlenty: The plan he instituted in Minnesota is different than the plan in Massachusetts, including the absence of an individual mandate. Would not directly attack Romney calling the national plan "Obamneycare," like he did over the weekend.

"President Obama is - is the person who I quoted in saying he looked to Massachusetts for designing his program. He's the one who said it's a blueprint and that he merged the two programs. And so using the term 'Obamneycare' was a reflection of the president's comments that he designed Obamacare on the Massachusetts health care plan," Pawlenty said.

8:15 p.m. ET - Romney: Will de-fund "Obamacare," and outlined the differences between the president's plan and the plan he instituted as governor of Massachusetts.

8:14 p.m. ET - Bachmann: "Obamacare" is a job killer that she will end as president.

8:13 p.m. ET - Q: What would you do to de-fund "Obamacare" and repeal it as soon as possible?
8:12 p.m. ET - Texas Rep. Ron Paul: Criticized job creation in the U.S., said it's because people don't understand growth.

8:12 p.m. ET - Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann: Announced she filed her papers to officially run for president of the United States.

8:01 p.m. ET - The candidates introduced themselves in a few sentences at the beginning of the debate. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the Republican candidate needs to save the country from the "Obama depression." Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said he hopes he "gets it right this time," a reference to his 2008 White House bid.

6:34 p.m. ET - When asked on CNN's "The Situation Room" about the potential of Texas Gov. Rick Perry jumping into the 2012 race, former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said "Clearly there's a vacuum in the Republican Party." He then pointed to the "least impressive" records of Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.
6:32 p.m. ET - @stevebruskCNN: Newt Gingrich talks to reporters as he arrives for CNN debate http://yfrog.com/kh2v9zj
6:22 p.m. ET - @PeterHambyCNN: Man of the hour just arrived. Wearing jeans, of course. Mitt said he's feeling "terrific." http://yfrog.com/kkkmawj

soundoff(991 Responses)

Sean

We are massively in debt. Why does the DoD need 22 billion more dollars per year?

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Mike

These debates are pointless unless it is a none-on-one debate. You will never hear a candidate get enough time to answer a complex question because of how many there are. Wouldn't it be great if there was an 8 person elimination bracket and you could vote after each one-on-one debate which candidate won the debate? These aren't even real debates! It's just a couple of candidates answering some questions and not responding to the answers other candidates are giving. POINTLESS!

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Gregg Macdonald

Do you feel that the constitution is an ever green document

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Larry France Brandon Florida

How do any of the candidates plan to deal with a democratic Presidential war chest of over a billion dollars?

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

anthony

Just wanted to know if any of the candidates, in the wake of the energy crisis would have the ability to tell the OPEC countries that we do not need them for a while and use our own resources here in our great America?

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Greg

My question is for Michelle Bachmann: does she believe that the people who applauded no-sharia law in the United States are Jingoistic, Xenophobic, or Moronic?

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Ameena

To everyone in the debate: Why was Muslims In America even a topic? As an American Muslim, I speak on behalf of the majority of Muslims In America. It is topics like these that make us feel ostracized. There are extremists in every religion. A topic like 'Muslims In America' does not make me feel included amongst the American people. And people wonder why Muslims are not patriotic. It is not that they don't support the American government, if the government did not label only Muslims by their religion than I think they would feel like...American?

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Kelly

I haven't had a chance to watch yet, but they always minimize Ron Paul at these things. Most audience members are too stupid to understand him, and the media is scared of him. Even Tim Russert, who I liked, once said he had no relevance. How sad.

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Darwin

What will you do to end... limit... agricultural subsidies?

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

sharon Thompson

There is no way the Republican way for health care for the elderly would work. The tiny amount allowed is not going to buy good health care – no one could buy it for this tiny amount. It would not cover office visits..In reality the Republicans are saying old people do not need to live. The Republicans do not care about any human other than the rich, corporate ones. Bush started all of the trickle down problems in this country..not one person could repair the damage done by Bush to our country. Other countries have much better health care for all their citizens..The Republicans only want for themselves and their personal favorite corporations. Not one up there tonight speaks for the rights of those of us that worked and paid into social security and medicare...The Republicans and not for the citizens that actually do the work in the USA. My question is..which of them would take the tiny amount of $$ for health care and go find what they can and then try to maintain their health. If this is placed on the American people then each memeber of government should have their health care the exact same for their families...they would see it different if it touched them.

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

Lacey M

Why do most of the candidates seem to believe that government should be removed from issues such as healthcare and fiscal issues however when it comes to social issues such as abortion, "Don't Ask Don't Tell", and gay marriage, they believe that government should be able to tell people what they can and cannot do?

June 13, 2011 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |

7dwarfs

If this represents the intellectual capacity, the brain trust of the right, the best they have, we're in real trouble.

June 13, 2011 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

gabe

So Ron Paul believes that if you are not Christian, you have no rights under the current constitution.. Paul, quoting the 1st amendment, What a joke...
" Congress shall write no law, which means Congress should never prohibit the expression of your Christian faith, in a public place."
Last time I read the constitution, It had no reference to Christian Faith.

June 13, 2011 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

Kent

To help the housing market, would you be willing to give a tax break to investors by doing away with the passive activity loss limitations on real estate and let people take the entire loss in a tax year?

June 13, 2011 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

kelly

Would a "Fair Tax" help or hurt the US economy?

June 13, 2011 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

Liberty Bear

Can we please talk about higher prices and inflation?

June 13, 2011 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

Imabeliever

I can tell you from experience that abortion is dangerous to the health of the mother, more so than pregnancy, because it rips a developing life from the womb by artificial means, and there is always the danger of something going very wrong, as in my case and in many, many other post abortive women, plus you NEVER ever get over it emotionally. I don't care what the baby killers say.

June 13, 2011 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

phineas j.

it's pro-choice...no one should have the right to tell anyone what they can and cannot do with thier body..and it's always ment telling women...funny....

June 13, 2011 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

Ed

Imabeliever... this is a country that protects it minorities from the oppression of the majority.

June 13, 2011 09:28 pm at 9:28 pm |

Ameena

American Muslims completely support the government and ppl need to recognize that.

June 13, 2011 09:28 pm at 9:28 pm |

Gregg Macdonald

Are you willing to put the brakes on the automatic citizenship for those that illegally enter the country for the birth right citizenship for newborns

June 13, 2011 09:29 pm at 9:29 pm |

Anthony

Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate (either Rep or Dem) that has ever served in the military, five years in the US Air Force.

June 13, 2011 09:29 pm at 9:29 pm |

Andros

If all Republicans and Democrats want less government then haw come the Patriot Act was extended and why is the government pushing towards a Police State "INE PAPIRE!" (SHOW PAPERS!) in German. Did not meant to Offend anyone just to overstate an oppressive regime.